Trubisky Looks The Part In Preseason Debut

Mitch Trubisky looked terrible in his preseason debut for the Chicago Bears last night. He completed 2/8 passes for only 20 yards. In his first couple of throws, he lobbed one up while under pressure, which resulted in an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He ended the game with a passer rating of 0.0.

OH WAIT! Wrong quarterback! The quarterback I just described above was Mike Glennon, not Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky actually played very well in his first NFL action against the Denver Broncos. Trubisky’s real stats were impressive. He completed 18/25 passes for 166 yards. He also threw for one touchdown, completing a pass to WR Victor Cruz while in the red zone.

What was most impressive about the way Trubisky played, is how he took control of the team and led them down the field for a touchdown right before the end of the half. Trubisky was inserted into the line up to run a two minute drill. A lot of rookies and even veterans would let their nerves get the best of them in that situation, but Trubisky looked calm, cool, and collected throughout the entire drive. Trubisky ended the game with a passer rating of 103.1, which is impressive anytime it’s done, but especially in your first game.

The Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft after trading up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers. They’ve taken a lot of heat for that move. Many feel like they could have stayed put at number three and still got Trubisky. The Bears didn’t want to risk it, and so far it looks like that move has paid off. A lot of scouts didn’t think Trubisky could be a franchise quarterback. They probably expected his first NFL game to look more like what Mike Glennon did last night. Maybe not that bad, but I don’t think they expected him to look as good as he did.

I don’t want to crown Trubisky as the Bears franchise quarterback just yet. We should hold off on that for a little while longer. This showing by Trubisky was just a small sample size. He looked good in 25 throws, but being a franchise quarterback is much more than that. Let’s also keep in mind that he was playing against the Broncos backups. He didn’t go up against the starting defense for Denver, which has been one of the best over the past few years.

Regardless of who was on defense, Trubisky looked good. He looked much better than Mike Glennon. If Trubisky would have gone up against the starting defense, I think he would have done about the same. Sure it would have been tougher for him, but he showed that he was capable of leading his team and staying poised, which is exactly what you want from your starting quarterback. Glennon didn’t show that at all.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that this was just the first preseason game. Teams don’t go all out during the preseason because they want to make sure that they’re as healthy as possible when the regular season rolls around. Players often aren’t playing as hard as they would during the regular season, especially the starters. The backups are more likely to give it everything they’ve got because they’re trying to make the team, which is something else in Trubisky’s favor. Those backups were fighting for their roster spots, which means Trubisky was getting the best effort of every defender out there.

Who Should Start?

The Bears signed Mike Glennon during free agency to come in and be their starting quarterback, but then they drafted Mitch Trubisky with the number two overall pick. They’ve invested in both players, and now have to decide who’s going to be the starter. If they base it off of one preseason game, the answer is Mitch Trubisky for sure, but they won’t do that. There has to be a reason why Trubisky hasn’t been named the starter yet. It’s possible that Mike Glennon has outplayed Trubisky during camp. Maybe Glennon just had a bad day, while Trubisky had a really good one. Maybe the coaching staff is trying to see how hard Trubisky will work to become the starting quarterback. He really showed them last night.

There are still three more preseason games. We’ll get to see more of Glennon, and a lot more of Trubisky over the next three weeks. If Trubisky continues to play like he did in the game last night, I think he’ll be named the starting quarterback for their week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Regardless of who the starting quarterback is, the Bears still have a lot of work to do. I don’t think they’re going to be contenders this year, but Mitch Trubisky definitely gave Bears fans a reason to be excited for the future.

One thought on “Trubisky Looks The Part In Preseason Debut”

I was one of the many here in The Chi that gave GM Pace the business Draft Night when he picked Trubisky. I DO NOT watch ANY preseason games, but I hear he has been looking good. I told myself that I will give him a chance to see if he’s the future of the Bears, so I guess we will have to just wait and see.